Imagine that you are now the pope. What are the top three things that you would change about the Church?

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pnewton said:
No, I do not believe in a previous life. It is an allusion to a movie quote.
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Yep you did it, instead of taking my advise. I hate to do this but I can’t help myself.

Listen Fig (short for fignewton and yes I’m name calling) your quoting a movie is par for the course for people today. They haven’t got a clue what reality is. They go to these dark houses and watch secular progressive idiots spout there lines and then they quote them. C’mon get real!

God love this person for they know not what they are doing.
 
  1. Work very seriously and sympathetically with the SSPX to acheive total reconcilliation.
  2. Issue numerous encyclicals on the evils of Contraception, Abortion, Relativsm, Homosexual Acts, Fornication, and Experimentation within the Liturgy, as well as extolling the virtues of traditional devitions such as the Rosary, First Fridays, Enthronment of the Sacred Heart, Home Shrines, and Intercession of the Saints (especially encouraging the laity to again pray the St. Michael prayer after Sunday Mass).
  3. Have a papal coronation, bringing back the Papal Tiara for this and other special occasions.
 
jmcrae said:
To be more clear, the part that is disciplinary is the part where we select only single men for the priesthood.

The Pope could choose to also select from married men for the priesthood, too. But it would never be possible to allow a single man who is already a priest, to get married. This would go against the Apostolic Tradition, so it will always be true that “priests can’t get married” - but married men could become priests, if the Pope decided so. 🙂
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Good point. It does go against Apostolic Tradition. That is not to say, however, that it could never happen as such an instance has never been defined in the way that women priests have. On the other hand, it would be a violation of the vow of chastity priests have to take.

BTW - I like Rawb’s answer.
 
If I were the Pope, I’d encourage my flock to fight the dangerous secularism that’s eroding Western Civilization. With each generation, our society is moving farther away from Christianity, one of the major cornerstones of the great Western achievement. Within a century, we’ll implode, and fall under the tyranny of vengeful heathenism.
 
KingAlfred said:
If I were the Pope, I’d encourage my flock to fight the dangerous secularism that’s eroding Western Civilization. With each generation, our society is moving farther away from Christianity, one of the major cornerstones of the great Western achievement. Within a century, we’ll implode, and fall under the tyranny of vengeful heathenism.
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Wow. I like that. And I was just going to say that I would get rid of the guitar. It reminds me of pagan camping holidays and is much too crude and common for sacred mass.
But I like yours better.
 
(1) Sacraments

(a) Re-authenticate & beautify Mass. Optional Latin Mass in every parish, mnimum availability of once/week. Restore sense of sacredness about Mass in general – quiet, silence, solemn music, Discourage everyday “folksiness” surrounding Mass – including informal atmospheres, ethnic versions, etc. Ethnic’s great, but ethnic can be solemn, too! And celebrations more informal – whether in English or an immigrant language – can be reserved for special holidays,

(b) Confession should be much more available, on an almost daily basis, before Mass. In one local parish near me it’s available virtually everyday without appointment – before daily Masses (which are several) and additionally on Saturday. I think reserving it for Saturday sends the wrong message & discourages its use. Confession & Eucharist are two halves of a whole. They should be related & juxtaposed on a regular basis.

(2) Catechesis

Far better catechesis than what we have now, and at all ages. Sophisticated Scripture study for adults, provided by parish via theology schools & Catholic colleges. Lay Catholics are horribly undereducated in Scripture, especially compared to Protestant brethren.

(3) Female Visibility/Influence

Notice i didn’t say female priesthood. But I think the presence of lay women in positions of governance in parishes is important for priests. I think it would help to have a more regular, normal relationship with straight females, not just tokenism (what they have now), but professional relationships with them, would do wonders for priests, for those women, and for the dynamism of the community they both serve. I think such gender integration would reduce some of the isolation and even ‘siege mentality’ that sometimes lay people sense in the male priesthood. I think it would open up communication. I think it would provide good witness and be good for credibility in general. For example, women who are already happily married, some with children, some with not, if they are a daily, full-time presence & have serious participation with some of the nonsacramental issues priests deal with – they can be a good source for priests in many ways.

(4) Okay, so I can’t count

Optional celibacy for diocesan priests, with the understanding that such a wife would have to be at least partly self-supporting, not relying on church income. I think given the assimilation of married Anglican & Episcopalian converts/priests, it’s important for justice’s sake to allow that for Catholic men as well. It won’t work for everyone. Very difficult to do marriage & priesthood combined. But some can do it & some need it for their ministry.
 
Elizabeth502 said:
(3) Female Visibility/Influence

Notice i didn’t say female priesthood. But I think the presence of lay women in positions of governance in parishes is important for priests. I think it would help to have a more regular, normal relationship with straight females, not just tokenism (what they have now), but professional relationships with them, would do wonders for priests, for those women, and for the dynamism of the community they both serve. I think such gender integration would reduce some of the isolation and even ‘siege mentality’ that sometimes lay people sense in the male priesthood. I think it would open up communication. I think it would provide good witness and be good for credibility in general. For example, women who are already happily married, some with children, some with not, if they are a daily, full-time presence & have serious participation with some of the nonsacramental issues priests deal with – they can be a good source for priests in many ways.
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Women have been for years now the de facto managers of most of the parishes that I know. The priests seem to be there just to perform the sacraments.
 
I understand that, Lepanto, but it’s not exactly what I’m taking about. In parishes I’ve worked in, mostly the priests and the laity are like ships passing each other in the night. Everyone has a different role (as you mentioned), without consensus, especially in terms of policy & other decision-making functions. There remains a level of caution & distrust even among most parish priests which does not promote understanding. And in non-parish settings, such as diocesan offices, virtually nothing gets decided without an internal clerical “imprimatur,” so to speak. Not if it’s a significant policy shift, for example. The level of the role is important.
 
cheese_sdc said:
insert evil laugh here
  1. Ordain the first woman priest.
  2. Repeal Humanea Vitea.
  3. Issue an encyclical which entitled “Judge Not, lest you be judged”, in which priests would be instructed to administer the sacraments to any Catholic who presents themselves for it, even communion.
  4. Administer Baptism, Eucharist, and confirmation all at once, to infants.
  5. Issue another encyclical entitled “Make a Joyful Noise” in which explicit instructions would be give that all musical instruments - stringed, percussive, brass, woodwind, etc. would be acceptable for Mass.
  6. Allow priests to marry, and allow the ordination of married men and women.
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Insert another even eviler laugh (Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmations will be perfect)
  1. Sell off the Vatican and donate procedes to UN, to “reduce” abortion by fighting against poverty.
  2. Go spend a long weekend in Camp David with Obama, discussing how to create new “world order religion”
  3. Publish encyclical on the beauty of homosexual marriage.
  4. Excommunicate all members of the “extremist cult”, Opus Dei.
  5. Canonize Bill Clinton (no need to wait till he dies)
 
  1. Normalization of SSPX, etc
  2. Complete reversion the the 1962 Liturgy, repeal of Vatican II (at least all that was wrong with it)
  3. Excommunication of all heretics, apostates, etc within the clergy and among the laity
 
requiemaeturnum said:
  1. Normalization of SSPX, etc
  2. Complete reversion the the 1962 Liturgy, repeal of Vatican II (at least all that was wrong with it)
  3. Excommunication of all heretics, apostates, etc within the clergy and among the laity
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My response was in jest. To seriously consider what we would do if Pope is an unwise thing to do. Thank God you´re not Pope!! Thank God I´m not Pope!!
By the way, it´s requiem aeternum, not aeturnum

God bless
 
santodomingo said:
My response was in jest. To seriously consider what we would do if Pope is an unwise thing to do. Thank God you´re not Pope!! Thank God I´m not Pope!!
By the way, it´s requiem aeternum, not aeturnum

God bless
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Yes, I know. I misspelled it. Its my user name on every forum I belong too and I misspelled it on every single one…
 
I also long for a normalization of SSPX. I´m sure many of their members are wonderful catholics with a sincere love of Christ. However, I think this depends more on them, rather than on the Pope, whoever he may be.

Tell me, without going into a long speech, why would you want to get rid of the Novus Ordo Mass?
 
“Imagine that you are now the pope. What are the top three things that you would change about the Church?”
  1. The momentum of the Catholic Traditionalist Movement.
  2. Ban against planned parenthood.
  3. Promotion of illegal immigration of the poor into developed nations.
 
santodomingo said:
I also long for a normalization of SSPX. I´m sure many of their members are wonderful catholics with a sincere love of Christ. However, I think this depends more on them, rather than on the Pope, whoever he may be.

Tell me, without going into a long speech, why would you want to get rid of the Novus Ordo Mass?
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Good question. The Archbishop Lefebvre called the Novus Ordo a “bastard mass” because it was a mix of Catholicism and the world. I agree with him. Although the Novus Ordo can be conducted with great reverence, I think that it is too poisoned by Protestantism to ever equate with the Mass of All Time. That being said, I defend the Novus Ordo when it comes under attack from my fellow SSPXers.
 
requiemaeturnum said:
  1. Normalization of SSPX, etc
  2. Complete reversion the the 1962 Liturgy, repeal of Vatican II (at least all that was wrong with it)
  3. Excommunication of all heretics, apostates, etc within the clergy and among the laity
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Ditto. Although not necessarily a repeal of Vatican II, just an affirmation of it in light of Church Tradition (i.e. stop abuses carried out in the "spirit of Vatican II)
 
santodomingo said:
My response was in jest. To seriously consider what we would do if Pope is an unwise thing to do. Thank God you´re not Pope!! Thank God I´m not Pope!!
By the way, it´s requiem aeternum, not aeturnum

God bless
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Isn’t is Requiem aeternam? Thats how it is in the Missal
 
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